Abu Dhabi’s new educational strategy aims to “future-proof” its students
The Graduation Competence Framework, created by ADEK, will assist students in mastering 21 abilities across seven main competencies; This year, rollout will start in private and charter schools.
Following a fruitful pilot phase in 10 schools, the Abu Dhabi Directorate of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) will implement its Graduation Competency Framework across private and charter schools for the 2022–2023 academic year.
A brand-new educational strategy called the Graduate Competency Framework seeks to give pupils the abilities they’ll need in the future. The new framework, created by ADEK, will improve the academic progress of children in grades 1 through 12, imparting crucial new abilities to better prepare them for the future.
Students will gain mastery of 21 skills across seven essential competencies, including financial literacy, teamwork, critical thinking, cognitive agility, global citizenship, and entrepreneurship.
His Highness Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, authorized the framework and gave the go-ahead for its wider implementation.
The chairman of ADEK, Sara Musallam, said: “This framework will ensure that our educational approach is appropriate for the 21st century and that our students are prepared to meet its difficulties and take advantage of its potential.
Our students will be able to develop transversal skills in authentic settings and use them in their areas of interest. Every student in Abu Dhabi will receive the training necessary to excel in life as future-ready, responsible leaders and global citizens with a culture of independent, lifelong learning. We will get them ready for adulthood in their neighbourhoods, for higher education, and for the workforce.
Through committed resources backed by project-based readymade modules, co-curricular activities, public and private partnerships, and competitions, ADEK will work with schools to integrate the competency-based framework into their curriculum. Teachers will be given the freedom to present learning modules to their pupils as they see fit after receiving training on how to implement the competencies of the framework from senior leadership teams of the schools.
Sara Musallam continued, “Teachers will have the opportunity to employ different monitoring and assessment methods to qualify their students’ progression in the essential ideas and competencies.
“At the conclusion of each cycle, schools will evaluate students’ competency growth, with grade 12 students graduating with cross-curricular skills to support them in higher education and their future careers.
“To achieve this goal, we are enhancing academic programmes in schools, updating regulations, compliance standards, and inspection procedures, and boosting parental involvement. We have already started working with business partners to co-create the challenges and content that the students will be trained to overcome.
